Friday newspaper round-up: Rail passengers, VAT, BASF

Northern Ireland business groups are calling for a six month delay to Brexit checks in the Irish Sea saying that Boris Johnson’s late admission that he is legally obliged to implement them has left them no time to prepare for the December cliff edge. They have also hit out at Downing Street secrecy, saying they are refusing to discuss the plans with the very people that needed to implement them. – Guardian

Rail passengers can now be warned of busy trains and stations before they leave home as part of a UK industry system designed to help maintain physical distancing and safe travel during the coronavirus pandemic. The technology will combine data on journey trends and live updates from station staff, to both inform passengers searching for journeys on the National Rail website and app, and alert those who opt in for updates on specific journeys, using their anonymised data to help predict how busy each train will be. – Guardian

Britain has been urged to follow Germany’s lead after it unveiled plans to slash VAT as part of a massive stimulus package to escape the coronavirus recession. Angela Merkel has launched a €130bn (£117bn) rescue programme that includes a temporary cut in VAT from 19pc to 16pc, as well as €50bn for rail and broadband networks and electric car subsidies. – Telegraph

A slew of European titans have taken advantage of a debt lifeline offered by the Bank of England, including Dulux maker Akzo Nobel, chemicals company Bayer and Chanel. Household names from aviation, retail and industry were among the 53 companies to borrow £16.2bn under the Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF), the Bank revealed in its first week of naming firms. – Telegraph

The German chemicals giant BASF has emerged as the largest recipient of the Bank of England’s Covid-19 emergency funding scheme despite only employing 834 people in Britain. The company, which is valued at €50 billion, has borrowed £1 billion from the Bank, equivalent to nearly £1.2 million for each of its UK workers.- The Times